


her future lies in her dreams

by tomefaired



Series: a link to her heart [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Genre: F/F, Gender Roles, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Lesbophobia, Pre-Relationship, Prequel, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), trans girl Link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-13 00:58:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18021821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomefaired/pseuds/tomefaired
Summary: Zelda's in love- with a girl who only exists in her dreams. Perhaps it's a crime against the goddesses, but she doesn't care.





	her future lies in her dreams

Zelda always had a feeling that growing up, she wasn’t ever going to meet her father’s expectations for her. She never made it known aloud, of course- she represented all that was good and peaceful in Hyrule, she had to be obedient to her father and his guidance. He was the King of Hyrule, after all, and knew what was best for her. So she stayed quiet, and lived her freest life in the land of her dreams.

Instead of keeping up with her studies on Hyrule’s history (she’d probably read the story of the Imprisoning War thousands of times by now), Zelda would find herself falling asleep in her soft bed, the book falling out of her hand and onto the floor. Her fantasies were way more interesting, after all. She imagined watching the Knights of Hyrule training tirelessly to protect the royal family, knowing that she could probably fight just like them if she put her mind to it. And one knight in particular caught her eye- a stoic, serious woman, with a powerful grip on her sword in her left hand. The swordswoman glanced at Zelda with admiration, a sense of duty, but also perhaps a hint of affection from the smile on her face. Even though she knew it was a dream, Zelda’s heart couldn’t help but pound faster as she laughed with delight, seeing such a beautiful, _powerful_ girl that her father would never know about.

“Zelda!”

And on cue, she woke up to angry words, lectures about her ‘future’ that she’d heard a thousand times over. She was to marry a man, someone that her father approved of and would ensure Hyrule’s prosperity. Her husband was to be her guide when her father could not be, but also someone who could protect her and keep her safe from all harm. Someone who could keep her grounded in her flights of fancy and remind her of her place as Princess Zelda.

This was why she needed to be educated, so she could appear intelligent and learned to potential suitors (but of course, her husband had to be more knowledgeable than her). She had to marry a man because that was what women were supposed to do, and questioning that would be a crime against the goddesses themselves.

“Getting lost in your little dream world won’t get you any closer to fulfilling your role, my daughter,” her father explained, with a stern tone of voice, almost as if he knew what his daughter was hiding inside her heart. “Get back to work.”

“…Yes, Father. I’ll do what you ask this time, I promise.”

“Somehow, I find that hard to believe,” her father admitted. “But you’ll understand when you get older.”

“If you say so.”

Zelda thought to herself- perhaps her father was right. The few times that she did question the future that had been chosen for her, she was met with anger for thinking “dangerous” thoughts. This wasn’t the way that the world worked, he’d said, and everyone settled into their rightful role eventually.

But Zelda couldn’t stop thinking about girls, and how much she loved them.

The swordswoman from her dreams- she was probably the strong, silent kind of girl. She had to be strong on the outside because she was struggling so much on the inside with her emotions, and she didn’t want anyone to see. If someone tried to ask her how she felt, she would turn away and say nothing- she was seemingly unreachable, and yet this idealized girl drew Zelda closer and closer, the princess of Hyrule in love with a girl who didn’t exist.

Perhaps these dreams would fade when Zelda got older, maybe it was just a phase. But that didn’t make these feelings any less real. Zelda kept clinging to her dreams as if they were the only part of her that she knew. How could her father know her better than she knew herself? Her dreams always told the truth.

Even if she had to keep her feelings hidden from everyone, she wouldn’t let her father force her to be anyone but herself.

* * *

Another day, another daydream. And this time, Zelda actually got to see her knight up close.

Zelda noticed the swordswoman didn’t give her name, probably because she was a little too shy. And she didn’t say a word. But Zelda got a chance to take in the finer details of her dream girl.

Bright blue eyes, an awkward smile, rosy cheeks, silky pink hair, freckles dotted across her face. A little shorter than Zelda, though her stance was filled with determination. A green uniform that she picked herself, that represented the hidden bravery that was waiting for a chance to emerge. It made her stand out from the other Knights of Hyrule and Zelda could spot her coming from a mile away. There were a few bruises on her skin, ones that Zelda knew she could heal with the magic she was studying without her father’s consent or knowledge. And perhaps Zelda could heal the wounds inside the stoic girl’s heart, too.

“Thank you… for working so hard to protect me,” Zelda whispered quietly to the girl of her dreams. “I hope I can return the favor one day… but for now, this is all I can give you.”

The two gazed into each other’s eyes, the swordswoman with a more curious look as her face turned red, perhaps from the awkwardness of her princess being this close to her. Zelda placed a shaking hand gently on the swordswoman’s cheek, leaning in just enough to kiss her forehead.

Perhaps one day, Zelda thought, this girl would save her life.

**Author's Note:**

> If it wasn't obvious enough, the swordswoman in Zelda's dreams is Link. (That's the power of the Triforce of Wisdom for you.)


End file.
